Coronation Medal (George V), 1911

The first coronation of a British monarch to be marked by the issue of a medal was King James I, but these pieces were not intended for wear. While coronations have since the eighteenth century given rise to a variety of private commemorative issues, the coronation medal as it is here understood goes back only to Queen Victoria's Silver Jubilee in 1887, when a medal was issued for wear by those involved in the ceremony, from the Earl Marshal of England down to the private soldiers in the parade. This was repeated by King Edward VII at his coronation in 1901, and became customary thereafter.
This medal is that issued in connection with the coronation of King George V in 1911, and was awarded to Captain T. M. Monk, whose medals are part of what the catalogue of the Watson Collection considers
Group 6. Its provenance is therefore considered
with the others of that group. Monk was presumably among the soldiery who were allowed to march in the parade.